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Terese McDonald

Whether it is the memories of the penny candy counter at her childhood five & dime, the creation of the “Jelly Belly”, or perhaps the overall “magic” that is evoked by the sweetest commodity known to man, local entrepreneur Terese McDonald is aiming to uncover your personality connections to your confections in her small chain of candy emporiums. Terese, a former Sales and Training Executive in the Prestige Beauty and Luxury goods industry, had used candy profiling for years to determine an individuals’ “selling personality”. She used this to teach selling skills to enhance her team of over 500 point of sale associates. Wildly successful, Terese taught the course not only to the U. S. sales team, but was asked to present the program to her company’s group of international trainers. Candy is universal - it crosses cultures, ages, race, religion, and economic status…it speaks to everybody, and pretty much everybody loves it, as did the group of international trainers who unanimously accepted the module as a worldwide training tool.

Once in a while, an opportunity comes along where one gets to write a new chapter in their life. Terese, a tried and true Chicagoan who dreamt of putting a retail store in her neighborhood, realized that the concept she had refined from her training experiences could be grown into just what her neighborhood and Chicago needed. Open since 2007, Terese has grown from her first store to four, making Candyality the largest independent candy store chain in the city. Aimed at being more than a location to satisfy your sweet tooth, Candyality hopes to become a concept as widely accepted as reading your tea leaves, tarot cards, and maybe even your zodiac sign. While no science can be claimed behind the research, a careful study has pegged many competitive (sugary), good listener (fluffy), good negotiator (crunchy), creative (colorful), and more.

Employing the dynamic combination of creativity, people, products, family and friends, Terese hopes to create a new and refreshing retail destination and shopping event in Chicago that will result in her customer’s unforgettable experience. It’s a new take on the corner candy store, where one can truly “find” one’s self and hold true the concept of “you are what you eat!””